Fake agrochemicals that are being brought into Botswana illegally and distributed to farmers all over the nation pose a threat to their health as well as the sustainability of local agricultural businesses. Every other day, more and more fake agricultural chemicals are being sold on the market.
Botswana’s government’s decision to ban vegetable imports in order to promote agricultural independence is a boon to most horticultural farmers. It does, however, have its own set of issues. Currently, evidence on the ground indicates that the number of farmers interested in horticultural production has increased since the vegetable ban. However, this has resulted in some nefarious criminal enterprises using this as an opportunity to exploit unsuspecting farmers.
According to studies, counterfeiters and fraudsters are focusing on the global agrochemical market, which is predicted to generate $308 billion in revenue in 2025. The adulteration and counterfeiting industries will cost the global economy more than 20% of that market share. In Africa, the pesticide market in is estimated to be worth over $45 billion, with significant implications for farmers, exporters, and the general public’s health.
Although no recent studies have been conducted, estimates indicate that over 15% of the pesticide market in Botswana is made up of counterfeit products that are manufactured covertly and frequently given names that occasionally resemble the genuine brands. Apart from counterfeit agro chemicals, Botswana is also struggling with rising cases of unmonitored chemicals passed off as herbal pesticides.
Thabang Mokibe, Managing Director of Orchid Agro Chemicals Ltd, whose company provides farmers with treatment for plant and soil application as well as scientific farming advice, told The Telegraph that a number of farmers in Botswana’s various agricultural sub-sectors are duped by cheaper prices for agricultural products that may be produced under the same brand name, but which may be ineffective and possibly even highly lethal substitute.
“The fact that counterfeit agrochemicals reduce the farmer’s profit margin is arguably their most depressing effect. The cost of purchasing the chemicals is high, but the harvest’s quality is subpar. The wrong chemicals, in the form of shoddy or falsified goods, will harm the environment as well,” he says, adding that “untrustworthy farmers are being duped by crooked agricultural dealers who are utilizing the rising demand for agricultural chemicals.”
The illegal importation of agro-chemicals has in some ways developed into a well-organised activity. Although Botswana Customs has improved at stopping the importation of fake chemicals through authorised ports of entry, the country’s lack of strict regulations regarding the importation of agricultural chemicals may pose the greatest threat.
In a worldwide coordinated Interpol-supported operation in 2018, Botswana traders selling fake goods were detained and fake goods worth more than P250 million were seized. Pharmaceuticals, fake tobacco products, alcohol, food, vehicle parts, clothing, anti-malarial drugs, pregnancy tests, agrochemicals and pesticides were some of the items targeted in the operation.
Tim Morris, the executive director of Interpol’s police services, stated at the time that participating nations had helped protect people worldwide from potentially unsafe goods and made them safer by destroying illegal networks.
“By attacking the distribution networks, and by disrupting production at the source, participating countries have contributed towards globally protecting people from potentially unsafe goods, and made them safer by dismantling illegal networks which are often connected to other forms of serious crime,” he said.
A farmer who spoke to this publication says there is a need for increased farmer awareness of the dangers of fake agrochemicals, and farmers must also use accredited dealers.
“This practice disproportionately affects poor and uneducated farmers. The only way to stop these counterfeit chemicals is for farmers and local distributors to work together,” says Katlego Seboni, adding that stockists and farmers should be taught how to handle and use agricultural chemicals on a regular basis in order to eliminate counterfeit agro-chemicals.
Importers of fake chemicals into Botswana target mostly farmers who do vegetable cultivation. Some farmers believe that some of the chemicals imported into Botswana and sold to farmers in the industry at significantly lower prices than those available through reputable distributors may be a form of money-laundering.
According to a former Botswana Police Officer (BPS) officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to this publication, “some agro chemicals find their way into Botswana and other developing countries due to legal loopholes that allow the manufacturer of these agro chemicals to export despite it being branded as unsafe.”
This was corroborated by a documentary called Circle of Poison, which aired on the Al Jazeera news network and revealed that harmful agricultural chemicals that were banned, restricted, or unregistered in the developed world were still being sold and shipped to developing countries, causing harm to populations and ecosystems.
While it can be challenging to trace the origins of fake chemicals, the officer claims that the local dealers are allegedly part of a larger counterfeit system that deals not only with fake agricultural chemicals but also with other goods like branded shoes, handbags, and automobile parts, to name a few. However, some farmers are fighting back by switching to more sustainable farming methods such as organic farming.
